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IndyCar champ Scott Dixon says his team is saving its speed for warmer weather

February 18, 2014

Scott Dixon, shown racing last year, hasn't tested much this off season in his IndyCar. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Reigning IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon said there’s a reason his Ganassi Racing team hasn’t shown up much on the speed charts at offseason tests.

He said the team is saving its days for later in the season.

“It’s easy to get down the road in [track] conditions that can be 40 degrees cooler than when you actually race,” said Dixon, who has been on the track only three days so far, or about half the time of other drivers. “We’ve just canceled the Barber [Motorsports Park] test we had set for the 4th of March.

“We want to make sure we keep developing in the areas we need from the offseason, then work on the car for setups during the hotter months.”

The season opens March 30 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Dixon might be with the same team for the 12th consecutive season, but he has changes to adapt to this year. Namely, a key teammate as Tony Kanaan has replaced Dario Franchitti in the 10 car. Dixon and Franchitti were teammates for five seasons, and the change figures to impact Dixon.

“Dario and I were very similar, I think, in debriefing and the way that we approached the weekend,” Dixon said. “Hard to tell with T.K. yet because we haven’t worked together that much.”

Dixon said Kanaan’s communication skills are different than Franchitti’s, too.

“Very different,” he said. “Some in Portuguese and then in broken English.”